Dog sniffs out missing cash

Henderson County men robbed in Craigslist scam in VA

Published: Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 4:21 p.m.

Deputies in Verona, Va., were on the heels of a robber when a dog beat them to the finish line, sniffing out $12,000 stolen in a Craigslist deal that went sour Monday afternoon.

Deputies say two men from Henderson County were robbed when they went to Virginia to buy a Honda Civic they saw posted on the classified website. The unarmed bandit left the scene on foot and ran into a nearby home, said investigator Joel Good of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were tracking the thief’s prints through the snow and mud when a dog at a home on River View Drive, less than half a mile from the robbery, pulled an envelope of cash from under a mattress. A woman at the home found her dog playing with the money and called the Sheriff’s Office.

Derek Earl Shifflett, 20, who also lives on River View Drive, was charged with robbery. Deputies say he stashed the loot under a mattress in the basement of a friend’s house, but his attempts to keep it hidden were foiled by the family’s pooch.

Good said a 64-year-old man from Etowah and a 58-year-old man from Mills River came to Verona in “good faith” to purchase the car, but the vehicle never existed. “I believe there may have been a VIN number the suspect gave so he could check it out … and I think there was a picture of a car (posted online),” he said.

Deputies are still investigating where the fictitious VIN and photo came from.

Good said the men were asked to “bring cash” and meet Shifflett at an address on Mill Stone Drive in Verona around 1:30 p.m. The address where they met was the home of a woman who deputies say is “rarely home.”

There was no car in the drive, and after some “conversation,” Good said Shifflett robbed the prospective buyer of $12,000 in cash he had in an envelope in his coat pocket.

Deputies stayed on scene until 5 p.m. tracking the suspect’s footprints “through snow and mud” impressions and his IP trail through computers and a cellphone used to broker the deal, Good said. They were closing in when a dog uncovered the missing cash.

“I feel like we probably could have solved the case anyway with the computer used to broker the deal and the cellphone that was used,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to get all of the cash back.”

He added that no weapon was used in the robbery. The investigation is ongoing, and Good says “others may be charged” in the case.

<p>Deputies in Verona, Va., were on the heels of a robber when a dog beat them to the finish line, sniffing out $12,000 stolen in a Craigslist deal that went sour Monday afternoon.</p><p>Deputies say two men from Henderson County were robbed when they went to Virginia to buy a Honda Civic they saw posted on the classified website. The unarmed bandit left the scene on foot and ran into a nearby home, said investigator Joel Good of the Augusta County Sheriff's Office.</p><p>Deputies were tracking the thief's prints through the snow and mud when a dog at a home on River View Drive, less than half a mile from the robbery, pulled an envelope of cash from under a mattress. A woman at the home found her dog playing with the money and called the Sheriff's Office.</p><p>Derek Earl Shifflett, 20, who also lives on River View Drive, was charged with robbery. Deputies say he stashed the loot under a mattress in the basement of a friend's house, but his attempts to keep it hidden were foiled by the family's pooch.</p><p>Good said a 64-year-old man from Etowah and a 58-year-old man from Mills River came to Verona in “good faith” to purchase the car, but the vehicle never existed. “I believe there may have been a VIN number the suspect gave so he could check it out … and I think there was a picture of a car (posted online),” he said.</p><p>Deputies are still investigating where the fictitious VIN and photo came from. </p><p>Good said the men were asked to “bring cash” and meet Shifflett at an address on Mill Stone Drive in Verona around 1:30 p.m. The address where they met was the home of a woman who deputies say is “rarely home.” </p><p>There was no car in the drive, and after some “conversation,” Good said Shifflett robbed the prospective buyer of $12,000 in cash he had in an envelope in his coat pocket. </p><p>Deputies stayed on scene until 5 p.m. tracking the suspect's footprints “through snow and mud” impressions and his IP trail through computers and a cellphone used to broker the deal, Good said. They were closing in when a dog uncovered the missing cash.</p><p>“I feel like we probably could have solved the case anyway with the computer used to broker the deal and the cellphone that was used,” he said. “We're very fortunate to get all of the cash back.”</p><p>He added that no weapon was used in the robbery. The investigation is ongoing, and Good says “others may be charged” in the case.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>